Document Cameras

One of the most useful technology items I have in my art room is a Document Camera.  If you are not familiar with these devices, they are a camera on an arm which hangs out over the item or image you place underneath it.  The item or image is then projected onto a screen through a projector or onto a computer screen.  You will also need some sort of portable or mounted camera in your room.  It is great because you can project student art work up for everyone to see (which the elementary students particularly love).  You can also project postcard size images and make them large enough for the entire class to see.  It has made so many of my postcards exemplars more useful in my program.  If you read stories to your classes, it is an effective way to show the text, images, or both.  I have created art vocabulary flashcards for my fourth grade students for them to use on their own, but I can also use them with a whole class using the document camera.

There are different brands of document cameras and I have most often referred to them as ELMOs, but I am in no way promoting one brand…it is just a way you may have heard them.  ELMO is a brand name.  The expense is under $1000 and is a great investment for an art classroom.  

Elmo

On some, the arm rotates so you can capture items that are placed vertically and others capture video as well.  They have many uses and I hope some readers of this blog will share how they have used document cameras.

-Thom Knab